We almost did it. Valerie and I had applied to vote by mail in the upcoming provincial election and had duly received confirmation – complete with eight-digit personal identification codes – that our applications had been approved.
As firm believers in the importance of maintaining our democratic society, it seemed a no-brainer to use the most recent technologies and communications systems to exercise our democratic franchise. It seemed so simple, and we are, after all, getting older. Standing in line in mid-to-late autumn is not as much fun as it used to be.
And, we are not living and voting in Myanmar (or many other countries) where would-be voters must line up, prove their eligibility to vote in front of their neighbours, and dip one finger into a pot of indelible ink to serve as proof that they have, indeed, cast their ballot.
But, we have been watching the run-up to this year’s election in the USA and have noted how convoluted the voter registration process has become in that country. And one cannot avoid the quasi-religious rhetoric that dominates political discourse south of the American border. With these things in mind, we have decided to go back in time and to vote as we used to, in person, at our designated polling station.
Our decision is by no means a protest against new technologies; it is a statement that our democracy is precious to us, and that we look forward to physically demonstrating that to our neighbours and our politicians.
pgk
